SUNDAY: Fire up the grill today for your own grilled chicken breasts. Serve the easy entree with Mediterranean Couscous With Raisins and Feta. Heat 3 cups unsalted chicken broth to boiling in a 3-quart pot. Stir in 2 cups couscous, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 small chopped tomato and 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (rinsed); remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes; fluff with fork. Sprinkle each serving with crumbled feta cheese. Add steamed cauliflower and flatbread on the side. Banana cream pie for dessert.
Plan ahead: Grill enough chicken and save enough couscous and pie for Monday.
MONDAY: Make a favorite, Chicken Club Sandwiches, with leftover chicken. Toast 8 slices whole-grain bread and spread one side with mayonnaise. Layer 4 slices toast with lettuce, sliced leftover chicken, sliced tomato and cooked bacon slices. Top with remaining toast; secure with wooden picks and cut into triangles. Serve with leftover couscous. Slice the leftover pie for dessert.
TUESDAY: Make dinner low-cost with Southwestern "Stroganoff." Cook 1 pound lean ground beef in a large skillet on medium about 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Return beef to skillet; add 1 cup water, 2 cups chunky salsa, 2 cups wagon wheel (or spiral) pasta and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in 1/2 cup reduced-fat or regular sour cream. Serve with a mixed greens salad and whole-grain rolls. For dessert, fresh pineapple spears are good.
WEDNESDAY: The kids will like this Chili without any "yucky stuff." Cook 1 pound lean ground beef in a 3-quart pot about 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain well and return to pot. Stir in 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans (rinsed), 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed tomato soup, 2 soup cans water, 2 tablespoons instant minced onion and 2 teaspoons chili powder. Heat to boiling and serve. Top with fish-shaped cheese crackers. Serve with deli carrot salad and bread sticks. The kids can help prepare Fruit Sundaes for dessert. Mix sliced bananas, halved seedless grapes and frozen strawberries (thawed) in syrup. Spoon into small bowls. Top with light whipped cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough chili for Thursday.
THURSDAY: Chili-Topped Hash-Browned Potatoes will be on the table in no time. Prepare 1 (26-ounce) package frozen hash-browned potatoes according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat leftover chili until hot. Spoon chili over potatoes and sprinkle with shredded jalapeno cheese. On the side, add a packaged green salad and corn muffins from a mix or the bakery. Fresh tropical fruit is an easy dessert.
FRIDAY: Make breakfast into dinner with Baked Eggs With Cheesy Polenta (see recipe). Serve the egg dish with a spinach salad and crusty bread. For dessert, orange sherbet is light.
SATURDAY: Splurge tonight and serve your lucky guests Beef Medallions in Portobello Wine Sauce (see recipe). Serve with your garlic mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli florets. Add a mixed greens salad and sourdough rolls. Chilled Lemon Dessert (see recipe) ends your fine meal.
THE RECIPES
Baked Eggs With Cheesy Polenta
4 cups unsalted vegetable broth
1 cup polenta or coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup no-salt-added marinara sauce
12 eggs
12 slices Tuscan cheddar, tomato basil cheddar or sharp cheddar, cut 1/8 inch thick
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a large (2-quart) shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet.
Bring broth to a simmer in a large saucepan and slowly whisk in polenta, making sure there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes or until mixture is very thick and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in the 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and the sour cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon polenta mixture into prepared dish. Top with marinara sauce, spreading evenly. Carefully break eggs on top of sauce. Top each egg with a slice of cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked as desired. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat cheese and sour cream) contains approximately 459 calories, 35 g protein, 22 g fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 412 mg cholesterol, 791 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2 1/2.
Recipe adapted from The Cabot Creamery Cookbook: Simple, Wholesome Dishes From America's Best Dairy Farms (Oxmoor House, 2015.)
Beef Medallions in Portobello Wine Sauce
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1/2 cup Madeira or port wine (see note)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
6 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
In a medium bowl, mix together broth, wine, thyme, pepper and garlic powder until blended. Add mushrooms; toss to coat well. Cover and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks from skillet; place on plate and cover loosely to keep warm. Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add flour and salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour mushroom mixture into skillet. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce is thickened and mushrooms are tender. Add steaks to sauce; heat 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Note: For wine substitute, combine 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 6 tablespoons unsalted chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon sugar; mix well to dissolve sugar.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 222 calories, 26 g protein, 8 g fat, 7 g carbohydrate, 66 mg cholesterol, 271 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1/2.
Chilled Lemon Dessert
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 (2.9-ounce) package regular (not instant) lemon pudding and pie filling mix
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups water, divided use
2 egg yolks
1 (8-ounce) package Neufchatel cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups frozen whipped topping (thawed)
Unfold pie crust according to package directions; press out folds. Place crust into a 9-inch spring-form pan, trimming to fit bottom of pan (don't let crust come up sides of pan). Bake according to package directions. Cool completely.
Cook pudding mix according to package directions for pudding (using the sugar, 1/4 cup water, egg yolks and then 2 cups water); cool slightly. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Fold in marshmallows and whipped topping. Spread pudding mixture over cooled crust. Cover and refrigerate 3 to 24 hours. Run metal spatula along side of dessert to loosen; remove side of pan. Slice and serve.
Makes 16 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat whipped topping) contains approximately 175 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g fat, 25 g carbohydrate, 35 mg cholesterol, 158 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 1/2.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:
susan@7daymenu.com
Food on 05/27/2015